Star Wars: The Other Side
by FalliciousPuns
Summary: The battle on Endor is over. Luke watches his father's burning corpse. The Empire's finished, isn't it? What is he going to do now? There is nowhere to go, and he is the last jedi. Or, maybe, the last sith. TFA comes out tomorrow, and I believe Luke is going to the dark side, this is how he turned (so I can pretend for a few hours that it might be canon). dark!luke, sith!luke
1. Chapter 1

**1**

"Feel it, don't seize it," Luke said patiently. "The first step is to recognize that it's there, got it?"

Leia rolled her eyes. "I'll try."

Luke barely resisted the urge to quote his old master's words at her. He closed his eyes and exhaled, feeling the force wash over him. Then there was a slight disturbance, like a ripple. His eyes snapped open. "Leia, feel it. Don't try and force it to do what you want. That's not the way of the jedi."

"Luke. I get it. You're the last jedi. You want it to go right. But I'm trying. Maybe if I practice-"

"Do, or do not. There is no try." Luke said automatically.

Leia sighed. Luke closed his eyes again, trying to become one with the force. He felt its pattern through his being. He breathed out slowly, and focused his attention on Leia. Good, she was reaching out, but not grabbing or pushing. But then, something changed. The pattern around Leia began to contract, pulling itself in towards her.

Luke focused on his sister, trying to understand why she kept on exerting her will on the force. A flurry of thoughts brushed by his mind. Emotion. _Love?_ he wondered. He opened his eyes.

"You keep on forcing the force to follow your actions. You shouldn't make it do anything, you should just use the knowledge it gives you, or use the power that it gives you. To do anything else is not to be a jedi."

Leia pursed her lips. "Care to explain?"

Luke nodded. "Say a stormtrooper tried to shoot me. I would sense a slight shifting of the force, kind of how you feel the current of water when you put your hand in a pond. That shifting would tell you where the laser blast will go, as if it was displacing the water in front of it so you can feel it. With the knowledge of where it'll go, you can move your lightsaber and deflect it."

"Then how can a jedi read the future? You can't know where something will be in the future just by feeling a 'displacement in the water that is the force'," she said, sketching air quotes.

"It was just an analogy, Leia," Luke said, sighing. "The point is, you don't need to change the force to be able to use the force. It's not the way of a jedi."

Luke and Leia both closed their eyes.

He felt an immediate pull on the force.

"Stop trying to control it, Leia. It's not the-"

"Maybe I don't want to _be_ a jedi!" she snapped. "Maybe I want to be in love! Maybe I care about Han more than being able to dodge laser beams or move things! Maybe _I don't want this!"_

Luke's eyes widened. "I- Leia, I-" he tried to reach out for her hand, but she recoiled. "I love him. I want to become a jedi, I know how much it means to you, but if it means I have to give up Han, then…"

Luke was silent. He stared at her with icy eyes.

"...Luke, I'm sorry, I love him- if there was any other way-"

"No," Luke said in a shaky voice. "I shouldn't have forced you to train with me, I know the way you feel about him, and it wasn't my place to-" he paused. "It's alright. I just need. Some time." He turned away. "To think."

Luke trudged back through the trees, brushing aside the tall grass with his fingers. He wandered through the woods ildy. If he tried hard enough, he could almost believe he was back on Dagobah. But then a gust of wind would ruffle his hair, and he would remember that it wasn't as humid on Endor. Glancing up at one of the tall trees that the Ewoks constructed their homes in, he sighed.

He wanted to get off this planet. Desperately. But the stolen shuttle that had gotten the strike team in had been crushed by an AT-AT, and Lando still needed to use the _Falcon_ to shuttle injured fighter pilots from ship to ship to try and find a space in the medical bay.

Thoughts still brooding, he climbed the swinging rope ladder that would take him to the hut that the Ewoks had given him.

He reached his hut and sat on the floor. The bed was too small, Han refused to let Luke borrow the _Falcon_ , even when Lando was done with it, and he was stuck here until rebel forces came and picked them up, which could take another day or two, since Ackbar's army was in shambles. His own triumph at the destruction of the Death Star II was overshadowed by the fact that he was the only trained force user left, and he had no apprentice. He wasn't even sure that he was a full jedi, no matter what he had told Palpatine. He took a deep breath and forced himself to remember that Yoda said that he would be a jedi if he confronted Vader. _I am a jedi. I am a jedi._

He was still restless but dreadfully tired. _What's wrong with me?_ He brushed his head back and stormed out of the hut, bumping his head on the low ceiling. Maybe a long walk would help. _It might help with the boredom at least_ , Luke thought dryly.

He found himself, as he always did, in front of the funeral pyre.

There wasn't much left, a charred glove here, a cluster of wires there. For Luke, it felt as if he were being punched in the gut. He picked up the melted mask, dusting it off. Every time he had come here it was the same. He would look, pick up the mask and stare at it. Luke wasn't sure whether he wanted to destroy it or keep it or just leave it here.

"I knew I'd find you here," came a voice.

"Hey Han," Luke said without looking up.

"Why do you hang around this place, huh? Especially not with old Vader over there. I mean, I know he was your father and all, but-"

"Yeah I know, but he came back," Luke said, a touch defensively, pulling the mask closer to his chest.

Han shrugged. "You'd know better than me, kid."

Luke turned around so that his back was facing Han.

"What are you-"

Luke turned around, holding the charred mask over his face. "What do you think?"

Han was still for a long moment. Then the two burst out laughing.

"I had you for a second there, admit it!" Luke laughed. Han nodded, clutching his stomach.

"Ok seriously kid, stop, it's starting to freak me out," Han said, half smiling.

"All right, all right, Han," Luke said gently putting his mask down and raising his arms in a gesture of mock surrender. After a long silence, Luke sighed. "What are we gonna do, Han? It's like we don't have a reason to do anything now. Before, there was the Empire, but now…?" he trailed off, hoping that Han would have the answers.

Han shrugged. "The Empire's not gone, Luke. We still have plenty of work cut out for us. You'll find an apprentice, I'll marry," he paused. Luke sensed that Han was scared of being too forward with him, "Leia," Han finished.

"I suppose. I just don't know where to start," Luke said. "I might end up going back to tatooine after all," he smiled nervously.

Han nodded. "Assuming Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar don't send me on anymore 'diplomatic missions', I'll be right along with you, Leia too," Han said, clapping him on the back.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

"R2?" Luke called. "Check that the hyperdrive's been installed, would you? I don't want to be stuck in a ship for a whole week," he said. R2 gave a few bleeps.

 _Good, I can make it to Dagobah in a few hours then,_ Luke thought.

Rebel ships had started landing on Endor, and Wedge had been kind enough to pilot his X-wing down for him.

Luke was just about to swing himself into the pilot's seat when-

"Hey kid!"

Han.

"Hey kid," he repeated, "what about going together?"

Luke grimaced. "I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but since the Falcon's still out I thought I could go ahead, and we could rendezvous at Coruscant, or Bespin?" he proposed.

He could see Han thinking it over.

"It's the best thing to do, we've only got a little while before a new emperor comes to power. You know it makes sense." Luke waved his hand.

"Yeah… I suppose you're right, it does make sense," Han brows furrowed. "But I'm not agreeing just because you're pulling a jedi mind trick, mind you," he said, waving his hand over Luke's face, grinning.

 _Did I just do that?_ A block of ice dropped into Luke's stomach. _I just tried to use the force on Han. That's…_ wrong.

"I- Han, I'm sorry about that, it was an accident. Really." _I guess I don't have as much control as I thought._

He banished the thought from his head and strapped himself into the cockpit.

"See you in Cloud City then," Han said, "That's probably where Lando'll ask to be dropped off."

"May the force be with you," Luke said, as the tough glass top descended. Then, he was in the air, zipping past trees and then clouds. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he exited Endor's atmosphere. After giving a quick glance out the window to see how R2 was doing, he turned back to the controls.

"Hey R2, I'm gonna just cut the radio for a minute, I'll turn it on just before we make the jump to hyperspace." He flicked the comlink off before the droid had a chance to complain.

He pulled out a compartment near his boot and drew out a pitch black mask. _I would never forget you, Father,_ he thought. He felt a lump in the back of his throat.

As the X-wing sped into deep space, the only comfort Luke had was that R2 couldn't hear him. The jedi do not show emotion, after all.

C-3PO shuffled into the war meeting room. Ackbar was gesticulating with his- fin, _that's what it was_ , 3PO thought. Han was lounging in a chair made of an indeterminable substance, while Leia sat like broken ceramic across the table.

Everyone paused when C-3PO entered, then the debate resumed. "Your highness you are greatly needed in Coruscant. The senate _must_ be reinstated before some new dictator is elected."

"Why don't you or Mon Mothma step in? You're just as central as Leia is!" cut in Han.

Ackbar sat down slowly. "Mothma and I are known rebel leaders, and have been so for nearly thirty years. If we try and interfere with politics, everyone will think that the _rebels_ are trying to seize control. You however, are the former," Ackbar tripped over the word 'former' Leia glared. "Princess of Alderaan," he continued. "The states that have been wronged by the empire-"

"So, all of them?" Han interjected sarcastically.

"Many of the planets will rally around you because you hold the same ideals as you because of your shared," he paused again, "experiences."

Leia didn't respond. She was sitting stiffly on her chair, staring off into space. Han glared.

Ackbar took it as a signal to go on. "You are also friends with the last jedi, so you will hold sway with those who still remember the days of the old Republic." There was a long moment of silence. C-3PO made his way over to Han. "Chewb-" he began, but Ackbar had caught Leia's eye.

"Please, Princess. You're our only hope."


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Vader's mask was tucked safely away in the X-wing's compartment. Luke flicked the switch that would re-activate the radio. "Sorry about that R2. I just needed a moment to think. I've got a lot on my mind, what with the Empire and being the last jedi."

R2 let out a long beep. Without having to read the translation on his monitor, Luke could tell that the droid was saying that he understood.

"Ready to make the jump to lightspeed?" Luke asked, grinning.

R2 let out a series of beeps this time. Luke glanced down at the monitor for a brief instant. "Well then, here we go," he chuckled, flicking a switch to deactivate the radar, and then another to boot up the hyperdrive. After a couple of seconds, the stars started to blur as they accelerated, and shot off into space.

They dropped out of hyperspace near a planet that looked like a swirling ball of fog, with patches of green here and there.

R2 beeped. A question.

"Yes, R2, I know," Luke replied. "But Dagobah's the best place to think, or at least it was when I was here before."

 _Beep woo?_

Luke laughed. "No, of course I'll let you stay in the hut this time," he said.

He took a deep breath. _Better not botch this landing_ , he thought, _again._ He pressed a button, igniting the engines. They flared up, bright red. He pulled back on the thrusters, and descended as slow as a falling feather. Luke was confident that he could land the X-wing even on the forest-covered Dagobah, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. If he got stuck here, if his radio malfunctioned, then he'd be trapped on the planet for the rest of his life. He hadn't told anyone he was coming to Dagobah, and he didn't fancy living in Yoda's hut forever.

"Hey R2, could you find the coordinates of where we crashed last time?"

R2 let out a few blips as he did the calculations.

Luke looked at the monitor. "So it's 46, and... 92 right?"

R2 beeped in agreement.

Luke punched a few numbers into the ship's computer. He sighed. "Alright, it's taking us to the other side of the planet. We should be there in about ten minutes."

The X-wing touched down ever so gently on the swampy ground. It's wheels sunk a few inches into the muddy earth. Luke hesitated before jumping down, not eager to get his boots dirty. He extended the ladder, hopped out of the cockpit and climbed halfway down, calling to R2, "I'm going to leave you in the ship until the rain stops." He glanced at the sky, smiling a bit. "Don't want to have to clean mud out of your wheels like last time, remember?"

R2 let out a low, long beep, almost like a moan. Taking it to mean, _Don't remind me,_ Luke grinned even wider. R2 peeped several times.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that you don't rust," Luke said, reaching up to pull out a waterproof foil from behind the pilot's seat. He draped it over the squeaking droid. "...Fine, and I'll leave the heating on," Luke promised, stepping up a few rungs to reach the correct button.

"Ok, I'm going now," he said once he'd closed the cockpit and jumped onto the squelchy ground. R2 beeped, red and blue lights shining out from under the water repellent foil. "Goodnight to you too," Luke said.

He ducked into Yoda's hut. Something swelled in his chest. The hut smelled of dusty leaves, of Yoda. Luke looked over to the niche in the wall. Yoda's robe was still there. It wasn't what he saw that made his insides burn, he thought, it was that the fireplace was stone cold. During his time spent working with the force, that fire had never dimmed. He had helped Yoda brush away the ashes every few days, but he had never seen the fire being put out. It was like an itch he longed to scratch. His eyes darted around the hut, looking for- there it was. Luke crawled over to pick up a lump of dry moss and two thick branches. He lay them in the fireplace, and pulled his firestarter from the clip on his belt. Within a few moments, a small crackle of flame lay nestled in the moss. It didn't matter that it was the lowest flame that Luke had ever seen in the fireplace, but that it was there.

He lay against the wall of the hut, facing the fire. His boots were drying by the door, and he had no need for his cloak.

Luke awoke early the next morning. The wood was only half gone, and there were some old nuts and berries in one of the sacks near Yoda's bed.

He peeked outside the window. It was clear that the rain had only just stopped. The sky was a light grey through all the mist, and fat drops dripped from the leaves on low-hanging branches.

After eating a few nuts, he decided to go check on R2.

He stooped under the low doorframe and walked to his X-wing. Upon lifting up the tarp, he discovered that the astrodroid was in low-power mode. Luke chuckled. Apparently droids needed to sleep too.

There was a small screech behind him, like a child's wail. He spun around, hands flying to his lightsaber. He gasped. His eyes widened in recognition.


	4. Chapter 4

4

The cave.

It was there.

Last time, he thought, I was wrong to bring my lightsaber. Yoda had said that the only thing in there was what he brought with him. _Only myself, and my lightsaber… and it showed me Va- my father. I… I killed him. I killed him. Murder,_ he believed _, was not the Jedi way. I failed._

The cave was still there, wasn't it? Well then maybe, if he went back in… but this time without his weapons, without killing whatever was in there, it would all be right, he would face his fears the right way. _This time._ He took a step forward, staring into the cave's inky depths.

Without looking away, he unhooked the lightsaber from his belt, letting it fall to the ground.

Something glowed inside the cave. Luke blinked, and it was gone. He took another cautious step forward.

There it was again! A faint flash of blue that was gone as soon as he'd seen it, and at the same time, he thought he heard a distant screech, like that of… lightning.

It was cold.

His eyes darted to the lightsaber on the ground. What if he needed it? What if whatever was in the cave tried to kill him? _I'm the last Jedi. I can't afford to die_ , he knew.

His lightsaber leapt into his hand. _There will be time to do this right, without it,_ he thought, _but I can't risk anything right now._

Luke drew nearer the cave, where blue light was still flickering. It was so cold.

His footsteps sounded loud in the intense quiet as he made his way deep into the cave. The blue flickered around every corner as he ventured further, seeming never to come closer but never ceasing.

Luke lost track of how far he'd been. It had only been a few minutes since he'd entered, and he thought he was at the same place as he had been last time. He could remember that at least. Luke half expected Vader to step out from behind one of the cave's stone walls.

His fingers felt cold, and they shook as he held his lightsaber. The rest of his body, however, was shaking from anxiety.

He glanced cautiously from side to side, making sure that there was only one entrance, then he sat down against a wall, making sure he could see everything. Sliding down the wall into a cross legged position, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

 _What better way to prove myself a Jedi,_ Luke thought _, than to be at peace in a place so tainted with the dark side?_

The Death Star. How odd that meditation should bring him here, where he was least at peace with himself. It was, after all where he had been his most angry, his most afraid, his most compassionate, where he had nearly been turned. He supposed it was the power of the cave. In his cocoon of calm, he wondered if it was a test.

There was another glow of blue, this time from behind him.

He turned to see.

There, in front of him, stood a hunched, wizened figure, cloaked and hooded, but unmistakably ancient. "If you will not be turned… you will be destroyed." A gnarled hand. Flashes of blue.

He tried to raise a shield with the force, but it was weak and fragile. The lightning seemed to glance off his barrier, but only for a moment, then the Emperor's lightning struck.

He writhed, falling to his knees, hands trying to pull him away from Palpatine. He yelled, clawing at the air. How did he ever expect to win against _this_?

The Emperor was saying something… but this pain… "Aaah!" he cried.

"Father, please!" he pleaded.

 _No NO NO NO NO! NOT LIKE THIS!_ his thoughts shrieked.

His eyes snapped open. He was on the ground and had hugged himself into a ball. The lightsaber was clutched tightly in his hands. There were tears on his face, hot and wet. His throat, he found, was hoarse. Not like this.

He tried to calm his rapid breathing, to regain his composure. He sat up. _Just a dream_ , he thought to himself. _A nightmare._

"You could have that power too," said a voice from the shadows.

Hurriedly, Luke blinked away his tears, scrabbling to his feet. "Who is it?" he called. "Who's there?" he demanded, when no answer came.

"You wouldn't need to depend on anyone to save you, if you were as _powerful_ as _Anakin Skywalker_ ," came the whisper.

"Show yourself!" Luke commanded, sounding braver than he felt.

"You'd be your own person."

"Where are you?"

"The new Republic, the Alliance, the Empire would never be able to use you."

Luke sneered at that. "They don't use me! They've _never_ used me!"

"But you're not sure about that are you?"

"Who's ever sure about anything?" Luke countered.

"All the powers in the galaxy want you, the last Jedi to stand by them."

"This changes nothing," he said, "I do what is right, no matter what drives me to do it."

"But will you have the strength to do it?" came the voice from a man leaning against the rock. He wore dark clothes and a dark robe, and around his belt hung a lightsaber. He examined a gloved hand. He had blond hair and blue eyes.

Luke's eyes widened. It was himself again. The last time he had been in the cave it had been different though. He hadn't known what was under Vader's mask that time and had attacked to defend himself, but now, faced with his double, he didn't know what to do: his double's lightsaber was off, and he didn't seem threatening.

The man looked Luke in the eyes. "Will you?" he asked. "Will you be powerful enough to do whatever it takes to make things right?"

Luke was silent.

A spark flew between the man's fingertips, and Luke recoiled.

The man looked down at his hands, only one of which was gloved and looked back at Luke. "You could have this power too."

Luke realized that he was shaking again. He shook his head slowly. "No…" he breathed, and then he ran.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ackbar, what's the situation?" Leia Organa asked. They had dropped out of hyperspace a few minutes before and were swooping in towards the rebel fleet. They couldn't just go into battle in a rebel transport ship, "The thing barely has any guns," Han had said before going to check on their cargo of blaster ammunition.

"Rebel pilots have been laying siege to the Imperial Palace for a few days now, and although the rest of Coruscant has already ousted most of the Emperials, the palace has a garrison of nearly ten thousand troopers and three star destroyers, which we are having difficulty taking with such a small force."

Leia nodded slowly. "Listen Admiral, I think I have a plan, but we'll need some of your best gunners for it."

The hologram of Ackbar squinted. "Tell me more princess, I'm a little confused."

Han strode into the cockpit.

"That's why we need your best shots. We can't risk damaging the ship, but we also can't risk it looking obvious," Leia was saying to the admiral. Han looked over at Wedge, who was lazily piloting the transport to-

"Hey Wedge," Han said, "I don't mean to get in the way of your piloting, but the rebel fleet is that way." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

Wedge shook his head. "Leia's got us covered. She's just as crazy as you," he laughed.

Leia looked up from Ackbar's hologram and glared at him.

"I'm still missing something here," Han said, slowly shaking his head.

"Look sir! Transport ship incoming, pursued by a squad of fighters!"

Calleck, the admiral of the Imperial class Star Destroyer _Enmity_ glanced sharply at the man who had spoken. "What class?" he asked.

The man looked down at his monitor. "X-wing class, sir!"

"And they're firing on the transport?"

The man nodded.

Calleck stared out of the windows from the bridge. "Prepare for battle. Whatever power that can be spared, divert to the shields, then guns," he called.

"Yes sir." Another man nodded.

Calleck frowned. "And," he said, continuing his train of thought, "patch me through to that transport. They might be our deep cover operatives trying to escape the rebels."

The screen flickered. "Admiral sir," Wedge said, as the image of an imperial officer appeared. "We've captured a transport ship containing high-powered ammunition, however we're being pursued by the enemy. We request immediate assistance."

Calleck scratched his shaven cheek. Could it be a trap? It would be just the thing the rebels would do… even so, the promise of a full ship of ammunition was promising. Even if they were rebels, he was sure that his troopers could easily take them out. After all, he had the superior numbers.

"Send out two TIE squadrons to dispatch them. Lay down a suppressing fire to slow the X-wings until our fighters get there. Have two fighters escort the transport to the hangar," he commanded, moving to a better position on the bridge.

A spurt of red flashed passed the window of the transport shuttle.

Han cursed into his comlink. "What do you think you're doing? Don't make it that close, or you'll blow us to bits before the storm troopers even have a chance!"

"I'm sorry sir, I'm not used to missing, that's all," buzzed the voice over the comlink.

Han rolled his eyes. "Leia, how long's this gonna take?"

She glanced at the ship's monitors. "Soon," she said to Han, then turning to the others, she called, "Everyone should start suiting up!" She looked at Han again. "That includes you too," she said.

Han shrugged, and made his way to the changing rooms with all the other men.

There was a hiss as the door opened and the ramp was extended. Han led the way off the shuttle, his men in a straight, orderly line.

"Have the crates of ammunition transported to the bigger guns. We'll need them to have enough power to take down the Rebel fleet," One of the officers said curtly.  
"I'll have my men carry them, but they'll need directions. It's been a long time since our squad was in anything but rebel scrap," came Han's voice from behind the stormtrooper helmet.  
The man nodded, motioning for a passing officer to stop. "Direct these men to the port guns first, then to the starboard ones."  
"You may follow me," the younger officer said, smiling a little. "Just this way," he continued, motioning down a side corridor on the left of the hangar. They walked until they reached an elevator.  
"Alright, looks like we'll have to make two trips," the officer said, tapping a button to call the elevator. The door slid open a few moments later. "Ten of you can come in this one with me, and I suppose the rest of you can talk among yourselves until I get back." He entered the elevators with half of Han's men.

A moment after the doors had closed, the trooper next to Han turned. Han knew that it was Antilles, and that he was about to ask a question. "Stay silent," Han said turning to make sure that the corridor was deserted, "Anyone could be listening," he continued, lowering his voice.

The disguised rebels straightened. What Han was saying was true.

Soon, the elevator returned. The smiling officer stepped out, motioning them to enter the lift. "Your friends are quite good company. Trooper LJ-3498 especially. He made at least three really good Bantha jokes on our way down. I swear I needed to use the wall to hold myself up," he finished giggling at the memory.

Han chuckled. "98's always cheering us up. Especially during these times, what with the rebellion and all."

The officer nodded. "I just can't believe that this whole war is really happening. One moment the rebels are a scattered fleet of flying scrap metal, the next, they have over a hundred systems on their side." He said as they all packed into the elevator.

"It's because of what happened to Alderaan, I expect," piped up Wedge once the doors had slid shut. Han glared at him, although he suspected the effect would be completely ruined because Antilles couldn't actually see his face.

The man sighed, punching the button that would bring them to the weapons level. "I never understood the destruction of Alderaan. I mean, 'one sacrifice for the safety of the many' and all that, but," he shook his head distractedly, "there should've been a better way to do it. I mean, it's not like I had any friends or relatives there, but…"

As the officer continued his story, Han felt a tap on his side. He looked over to Antilles. _What?_ he asked with a tilt of his head.

Wedge tapped his blaster against his knee, then jerked his head in the direction of the man in grey. Han shook his head. _We need him alive,_ he thought, hoping Wedge would understand.

The door slid open with a satisfying _hiss_ , and they filed out of the lift.

The man led them down another hall and through a large archway. "Welcome to the gun lines. What general Dakrin did was he made transits between all the major guns, so there's a speeder tunnel that goes straight from this gun to all the others." He walked over to the officers stationed next to the massive laser cannon.  
"Hey Nex," he asked one of them, "we just got a restock of energy cells. Is there anywhere that particularly needs ammo?" he asked.  
The man laughed. "What with all these rebels, we _all_ need some cells, but last I checked, the..." the officer clicked his fingers, trying to remember. He made a gesture at Han's guide. "The... the forward facing one. The one nearest the bridge, the spinny 360 one, the...r..reh..." he continued, scrunching his face in concentration.  
"The split-revolver 387 one?"  
The officer called Nex brightened. "The 87 Splolver cannon! Exactly. That one!"

"Well that sounds like a plan," said the officer that was leading the team of rebels around. "Do you think these boys could hop in a transit to the 87?"

The other man laughed, "Sure thing." He motioned to a door that slid open to reveal the cylindrical shuttle.

Somehow they all managed to cram into one, and soon they were whipping through the Star Destroyer's innards.

Luke backed away from the oncoming training droids. He was a couple of klicks away from Yoda's hut, trying to improve his agility. He didn't want to practice right outside his old master's house as he remembered that the old alien had disliked using too much technology, R2 being an acception of course.

He closed his eyes, stretching out with the Force, sensing-

He ducked, eyes still closed, as a weak laser zipped over his head. He spun himself to the side to avoid another one. On the third, he jumped inhumanly high, landing on his feet with ease. He felt the bolts hiss by his body.

With the Force, he activated the second spherical droid. It whirred to life and began spitting beams at him as well. After a few more moments, he activated a third, then a fourth, then a fifth. He dodged ten bolts, then fifty. At sixty four bolts, Luke felt a bolt head straight towards him. He knew he wouldn't be fast enough to avoid it this time.

Green light ignited with a comforting _snap-hiss_. A few minute wrist adjustments, and all five spherical training droids were lying in the mud, disabled by their own lasers.

He muttered something to himself.

"I can't die. I mustn't die. I must stay on the light side. I must live in the light. I must live. I'm the only Jedi. I need to do whatever it takes to stay alive so I can train a new generation of Jedi. Whatever it takes. I mustn't die. I must stay on the-"

Something beeped behind him.

"Oh it's nothing R2, I'm just talking to myself." Luke laughed once he realized how that must sound.

The droid made another noise.

"Yeah, I do need some sleep, you're right R2."


	6. Chapter 6

Han peeked out the window of the transit. Blue-white lights flashed by as the rebels and their imperial guide sped to the most powerful and deadly gun mounted on the Star Destroyer.

After giving them enough time to look out the window, their guide asked, "Where has your squad been previously assigned?"

Han hesitated at the question he hadn't expected. "Manaan, one of the water worlds."

"Ah," the man said. "I was just wondering because you seem like you've been going through a lot," he explained, then more quietly, "I thought you might have been… one of the squads from the Death Star." He bit his lip and looked out of the window. "So many people died in that attack…" he trailed off, "I mean, the Empire isn't perfect, but that doesn't justify what the Rebels did," he said with his fists clenched by his side.

One of Han's men stood up straighter. "With all due respect, sir. We're not as innocent as that. We destroyed Alderaan."

There was a long silence. Han's heart raced, sure that their cover was blown.

The officer let out a long _hiss_ of breath. "Damnit." He bit his lip harder. "Damnit, you're right."

The transit slowed to a halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a giant dome made of-

"Is that… an energy field?" one of Han's men asked tentatively.

"Yes," the officer said, trying to regain his composure. "This way, the energy cannon can revolve and rotate to nearly any position, and none of the oxygen can escape. The field is a changeable energy one, so we can fire _out_ , but the rebels can't fire _in_.

"Interesting," Han said, raising his blaster. _I hope the men have theirs set to stun. I really don't wanna kill these guys…_

The officers were too surprised to raise their blasters in time. Han's men blew them down like leaves in a hurricane. Their guide managed to avoid Han's blasts.

"I don't understand!" he screamed. "Why are you doing this!?"

Han knocked him out with a quick, well-aimed blast.

The men in the rear brought the crates of fuel cells forward. Another brought out some wires from under his uniform.

"Did everyone have their blasters set for stun?" Han asked.

They all nodded.

"Alright let's blow it up and get off this piece of junk," he ordered. He looked back at all the unconscious officers. "Bring these guys along. We might be able to interrogate them once we get back, and find out about their new leader."

Luckily there weren't that many, so his men only had to haul five unconscious bodies back to the transit, including their guide.

The trooper who was fiddling with the wires cried out, "Alright let's go! We have five minutes!"

They hurried aboard the transit, and Han slammed the button. They sped away.

He turned back to the others. "Do you think we should go ahead with phase two?" he asked wearily. He desperately hoped for an all resounding 'no'.

His men looked at each other, obviously torn.

"We've already dealt with the big problem-" one of them began.

"But if we just leave without executing phase two, more people will die," another responded.

A third slammed his fist against the plass window. "More people will die _especially_ if we do it," he growled. "Most likely even us, now that we'll be seen carrying these guys," he said, adjusting the unconscious officer slung over his shoulder.

Han sighed, a static crackle that escaped his helmet. "Take a vote. It's what Lei- the Princess would want."

All the men turned to face him.

"All in favor of leaving, raise your hands."

 _Seven._

"All in favor of carrying out the plan, raise your hands."

 _Six._

There was a long silence.

"You haven't voted, General," one of them said.

Han paused.

Leia turned to Ackbar's hologram. "They should be back by now," she stated. There was no audible worry in her voice, but Ackbar knew she feared for the strike team's safety. "Or at least, we should be seeing the signal to attack…" She stared into the deep dark hole of space. "Are the fighters prepped?" she asked.

Ackbar nodded. "My pilots are ready now. The enemy is in perfect position as well, hovering as far away from the capital as possible. If we're going to attack, sooner is better than later."

Leia sighed, crossing her arms. "We wait for another half an hour. If our team isn't back by then, we storm the capital only." She hadn't told their strike team that they would be attacking both Coruscant's capital and the Empire's fleet, just in case they were captured. "If we do receive the signal, then we take out the fleet as well, understood?"

Ackbar nodded, then his hologram turned to face something that Leia couldn't see. "Wait. Princess Leia. I think it's them," he exclaimed in amazement.

"What?!" Leia turned and pressed herself against the thick plass that separated her from the void of space.

A tiny dot was speeding towards them, growing larger and larger. She recognized it as the strike team's ship. _Why didn't we receive the signal?_

"It's them alright," Ackbar said. "I'll get them to dock here," he said. It made sense, his ship was closer.

A few minutes later, Leia found herself confront of a small hologram of Han.

"What happened?" She asked.

Han shook his head. "I couldn't complete the mission, but the men-" he paused. "About half of them stayed on the ship to… finish the job."

Leia raised a hand to her mouth. "They'll never get out," she whispered.

"They knew that," Han said angrily, although most of it was directed at himself.

Something cold dropped through Leia's stomach, as if all the heat had been sucked from her body. The wave of cold rolled over her.

She shuddered, then buried her head in her hands, knowing what it meant.

Almost immediately, a hologram of Ackbar appeared next to Han.

"General Organa!" He exclaimed. "The star destroyer our team infiltrated, it's rammed into the second one!"

"I know," Leia said monotonously.

"They made it," Han said in horrified wonder.

"No they didn't. We're the ones who made it, because we weren't the ones who died," she said angrily. "Begin landing our troops," she ordered and Ackbar's hologram disappeared.

"Leia," Han said, reaching out a blue hand.

"Just… I'm not feeling good Han. We shouldn't be this desperate after destroying the Death Star. We shouldn't be giving up lives for a cause we've already won."

Han shook his head. "We haven't won, Leia. Not by a long shot." He paused. "Hang tight, I'm coming over to your ship," he said, a little of his old grin crossing his lips.

 _He was falling, gently into a deep, warm sleep._

 _Luke's eyes opened gently. He blinked a few times, then pulled himself up, leaping nimbly to his feet. He strode outside the hut, but before he'd made it a few steps-_

 _Beep woop Woo?_

 _He turned around slowly. "Taking a walk. I was going to go meditate, R2." His voice was expressionless._

" _Woo?"_

" _No, R2." Luke extended a hand, and R2's lights dimmed. He had disconnected a power circuit. "I don't feel like I'm Luke anymore," he said, looking at his gloved hand._

 _Sparks flew as if it were a droid factory. "That's..." He closed the fist, and electricity jumped and coiled up and down his arm like a serpent. "That's interesting."_

Luke jolted awake, sweating and heaving, as if he'd been running for hours. He glanced at his hands. They were balled into fists. He unclenched them and noticed the marks his fingernails had made on the palms of them. He must have been tensing his hand for hours…. Luke tried to slow his breathing, but to no avail.

"R-" his voice cracked, "R2?" He looked wildly around. "R2, where are you!?"

A weak _ee woo_ , sounded from a corner. Luke scrambled up, taking in the view of Yoda's hut. "R2…" he said shakily, "What happened here?"

The table was overturned, and the plates and bowls Luke had brought with him were smashed against the ground. All around him it looked as if there had been a great struggle, as if a wind had blown through and blown everything to the ground. Ash floated in the air like toxic fog.

" _Eh po uu woo_ ," R2 blipped, his lights flickering from blue to red. The droid blipped again.

"What do you mean, it was me-?" Luke began, then seeing R2's lights flicker again, but this time on and off, he called out, "No, wait! Don't go low power on me now, R2!"

R2's lights dimmed.

"Shoot," Luke spat, reaching over to pry open R2's control panel. It came off easily. _That's not a good sign_ , Luke thought. He scanned the complex criss-cross of wires, searching for the power.

 _Wait. No. First_ , he thought, _I need to figure out what happened here. It's no use repairing R2 if it's just going to happen again_ , he reasoned.

He replaced the first control panel, then scooted around the little droid to a different one, the memory panel. He was trying to isolate one part of the droid's functions; maybe R2 had recorded what happened while he'd been asleep. He fiddled with a small pressure sensor.

"Oh you clever droid," he gasped as a blue hologram appeared on the dusty floor.

There he was, lying flat on the ground under his blanket. He saw his miniature chest rise and fall. He was panting. His hologram jerked. A bowl fell to the ground and shattered. Luke tossed in his sleep and suddenly the fireplace disappeared into a cloud of ash. He moaned. _I mustn't have as good a control over the force as I'd thought…_ He gritted his teeth. The door slammed open. Luke cursed as he pulled it closed. He tried to focus on the hologram.

With each convulsion in his sleep, something clattered to the ground. Luke shuddered as he saw the hologram of himself clutch into the air, trying to grab something that wasn't there. There was a small rasping sound. Luke leaned in.

"Leave me alone," the hologram of himself said. He sounded pained.

The whole image shook. _I'm lifting R2!_ he realized.

The hologram blurred and shut off. Luke blinked, then stood up. He stretched out a hand, and his lightsaber jerked out of his bag and flew into his palm. Immediately, he felt a wave of self-disgust. What had he come to? At one time using the force for such little, pointless tasks felt like cheating, but now…

"What am I like now?" he muttered. He decided that he didn't care how he used the Force right now. He needed to train an apprentice and pass on his knowledge. The ways of the Force had to be passed on, and to do that, he had to be alive.

He pushed open the door to the hut and stepped out into the humid air. He began running. He leapt over a log, scrambled up a rock and jumped onto a vine which he clambered up with ease. He jumped from branch to branch, using the Force to aid him. What he needed. What he needed was a safe place. No. What he needed was to not hurt anyone. Luke groaned as he realized the most surefire way of not losing control when he went unconscious was to not become unconscious. No sleep.


End file.
